“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.”

— Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright

Eating India - Rickshaw Run

Before leaving for India, a friend who did the Rickshaw Run last year sent me a few emails with advice, tips and [un]cautionary tales. One of the things he said was that while I should go veggie to avoid getting sick, it wouldn’t be a decision I’d regret–that the food was some of the best he’d ever had.

And guess what…he wasn’t wrong.

So here we go with the top ten meals consumed whilst rattling our way across India in a tin can–I just hope you’re not hungry.

1. Aloo paratha with kurd in Shillong

Aloo Paratha - Eating India
On our third morning in India, having transferred from the Pinewood Hotel to a local guesthouse, we explored a new part of Shillong and discovered Grazia Restaurant. There we feasted on a spread of aloo paratha–paratha essentially being a savoury pancake and “aloo” meaning curried potatoes–with kurd.

The first time Citlalli ordered this I was somewhat frightened to see what arrived…only to find it’s just plain white yoghurt, which happens to go splendidly with the crispy, salty pancakes.

2. Veg biryani in Falakata, West Bengal

Vegetable Biryani - What to Eat in India

After a morning of breakdowns [epic quote coming from Hisham #1: “The rickshaw must know we’re Arabs…why else would we keep running out of petrol?”], we pulled into this roadside hotel in Falakata, for lunch. I went with what has become my classic stand-by: a mix of roasted vegetables and rice with just the right mix of spices for some kick. The spices are what take a biryani one level up from fried rice.

3. Dal and curried potatoes with chapati in Ballia, Bihar

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJXBpL51h68

What swiftly became my favorite part of our days on the road were lunches at a dhaba, the Indian equivalent to a roadside diner or truck stop. While mostly Punjabi drivers snoozed on rope beds in the shade, we devoured cheap, filling meals of dal (a sort of thick lentil stew… “I don’t ever want to see another lentil again,” joked another team) and chapati. I fell in love with this dhaba cook named Mohan as he made our flour tortillas right in front of us one day–take a look at the video and you will, too.

4. Masala chai in Ballia, Bihar

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heTXcDypPn4

Okay, so I know this isn’t technically a meal, but I think we all drank enough chai throughout the run to equal one (or even two or three…). After Mohan made us lunch, his ten-year old son Deepak brewed up some of the steamy, spicy, milky-sweet tea for us. While Tariq of the Blue Camels insists it’s unhealthy (“It’s all milk…there’s barely any tea in it!”), I couldn’t and still can’t get enough of it.

5. Matar paneer outside Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh

Matar Paneer - What to Eat in IndiaIf there is one food I have absolutely fallen in love with so far it is paneer–a fresh, unaged Indian cheese [kind of like cottage cheese] that is most often served in thick cubes. The paneer section on a menu normally features at least ten different types–chilli paneer, paneer pakora [fried], paneer korma–but what this cook stirred up is matar paneer, or paneer with green peas.

6. Aloo paratha [round two] in Tikait Nager, Uttar Pradesh

Aloo Paratha - What to Eat in India

Setting out towards Agra halfway through the run, we eventually stopped for a mid-morning chai break. As we sat down in the shade, we all realized how hungry we were.

And so we turned to possibly the sweet dhaba cook ever named Akhilesh–and his son Mahesh–to cook up some paratha for us. But why feature it again? Rather than keep the pancake and potato separate like it was in Shillong, Akhilesh rolled all the filling into the balls of dough before frying them.

7. Puri bhaji in Dubbhi, Rajasthan

South Indian Chat - What to Eat in IndiaNambi, one of the guys from the Illegal Immigrants, made us try chaat, typical Indian snacks, at this restaurant on the way to Jaipur. Puri bhaji is one type of chat, a mix of boiled potatoes and spices served with miniature rolls that tasted exactly like warm buttered hamburger buns.

8. Lattes outside Jaipur

Coffee Day Lattes - What to Eat in India

Yes, I’m cheating again, but I thought I’d counter all of our more authentic meal experiences with a trip to Coffee Day–essentially the Indian Starbucks. The Immigrants insisted on stopping here for a half-hour break outside of Jaipur to have their first real coffee all trip. If it helps our credibility at all, Citlalli and I at least drank chai…

9. Cheese-tomato-onion omelette in Jodhpur

Jodphur Omelettes - What to Eat in India

You can’t go to Jodhpur without eating an omelette–or so it seemed as they suddenly exploded onto menus. We opted for a roof-top restaurant at a small guesthouse where Mr. Prakesh himself cooked our omelettes…one by one by one. It only took an hour and a half to get us all fed that morning, but at least they were worth the wait.

10. Rajasthani thali in Jaisalmer

Rajasthani Thali - What to Eat in India

A thali is a traditional Indian way of serving a meal (thali meaning ‘plate’). All are presented on large steel circular trays; some will then have small bowls lining the perimeter with different dishes in each, or the tray itself will have built-in compartments.

This Rajasthani thali featured (and I’m going clockwise here): rice, ker sangari vegetable (which looked like twigs), kadi pakora (ground chick-pea flour deep fried, then put into yoghurt and mustard), gatta curry (more fried doughballs), and chapati and poppadom, with a little kurd in the middle to top it all off.

So when my mom asks, “Have you lost weight yet?” I think we all know what the answer is…

18 Comments

  • I’ve tried all of these before 😛 This post reminded me too much of home! Love all these things, especially Aloo Parantha – and used to be a chai addict back in India! 🙂

    p.s. One correction – chaat is found all over India (wiki in fact says it originated from eastern India – I don’t know) – and can definitely not be called South Indian snacks. I would even go so far as to say chaat might be more popular in rest of India compared to south India.

    • Thank you, Abhijit! I have duly updated the chaat section…I think I must’ve gotten my information wires crossed somewhere 🙂 So glad I could remind you of home, though–I’ve been absolutely loving the food here so far and can’t wait to keep trying new dishes. Thanks again for the comment!

  • Only looking at the photos makes my huuuunnnnggggrrrryyyy. I wish I could taste it all. wha ta pity that computer technics goes so far, that I at least could smell it.

    • Thanks, Ellen! Ah, that would be great if computers could transmit smells as well 🙂 There’s definitely so many that would be great to capture. Have you had a chance to visit India before? It’s definitely a great place for a culinary tour!

  • Brilliant post!! and ‘appetizing’ pics.. Yummm..
    and thanks for the first Pic lol we had guards protecting us from the crowds as we ate lunch!! 🙂

    • Thanks, my friend 🙂 Yes, I shall never forget our first day through Bihar…celebrity lunch, armed policemen at the petrol station, and blazing past the checkpoint!

  • One word: SURVIVOR. That is your next step. You are ready. So glad (who were those missionaries you supported for so long) they told you to “try new foods.” Every step on your “life off the beaten path” coming together. I want the CUP and SAUCER from the INDIAN STARBUCKS…”discovered.” And, I have officially put a Yankee Candle entitled, “WORLD JOURNEY” or something to that effect on my desk! 🙂 ENJOY and call when you can.

    • Haha! I think the Rickshaw Run definitely got me one step closer to preparing for Survivor 🙂 Yes–the cup and saucer tell the story of how coffee was brought to India…I took a photo of just the saucer and will send it to you! And I absolutely love the pic you took of the candle…make sure there’s still a bit of wick to burn once I’m home 🙂

    • Haha there’s only one Mark this can be 🙂 Mr. Wifi and A/C, you’ll be proud that one night in Delhi, I actually had a veggie burger AND chips…I definitely thought of your checklist as I ate them! How’s life back in sunny Port Rush?

      • Go on admit it, you loved those chips??lol
        Portrush is good, free wifi and not much need for air con.
        Would love to be back in Bihar though, stuck in the middle of no where. Was truly a trip of a life time.
        Great to here your keeping good.
        Im trying to get the guys to go over to the adventurists Xmas party in London.
        Would be great if you guys could make it.
        Keep the updates flowing.
        Mark.
        P.S. Whats Survivor???

        • Ah, when’s the Christmas party? That sounds epic–I’d love to make it if I’m in London around then. Yes–Bihar was pretty awesome, wasn’t it? I just met a guy this morning from there and was telling him how we’d driven through it 🙂 PS – Survivor is that reality TV show that sends people to islands in the middle of nowhere for a month…I’m sure you must know it!

    • Definitely! Can’t wait 🙂 Especially as we found all of those Indian groceries in Virginia Beach…

  • Yum. Those look amazing!!!!

    Also, I’ve decided that I want you to marry my brother. So what if he lives in Canada – I think you’d get on swimmingly! He’s also just fallen in love with France and I think he might be considering some time spent en France. Tis all, love.

    • Hey, I’m feeling up for anything at the moment 🙂 It might be interesting to give a transatlantic romance a shot in the new year…Haha, either way, I say you and me pay France a visit together at some point!

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